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On this day, 18 January 1999, Scottish rock band Idlewild played Cardiff University on their on their Hope Is Important tour.
Formed in Edinburgh in 1995. The band's line-up consists of Roddy Woomble (lead vocals), Rod Jones (guitar, backing vocals), Colin Newton (drums), Andrew Mitchell (bass), and Luciano Rossi (keyboards).
Initially, Idlewild's sound was faster and more dissonant than many of their 1990s indie rock contemporaries. However, it developed over time from an edgy and angular sound (as heard in their early material—once described by the NME as "the sound of a flight of stairs falling down a flight of stairs" to a sweeping, melodic rock sound as displayed on The Remote Part and Warnings/Promises.
Hope Is Important was the debut studio album by Idlewild, released 26 October 1998 through Food Records. and received generally favourable reviews from music critics, some of whom praised the songwriting and Idlewild's energy.
The album charted at number 44 in Scotland, and number 53 in the UK; it was also certified silver in the UK. All of the songs appeared on the Scottish and UK Singles Charts, with "When I Argue I See Shapes" charting the highest at number 15 in Scotland, and number 19 in the UK. Hope Is Important appeared on a best-of-the-year album list by NME, as well as a best Scottish albums list by The Herald.
